the abbey. Amongst the large bosses are represented the Holy Lamb,
surrounded by maple leaves; the Virgin amidst the vine, and a monk
playing an early violin. There are ten statues which formerly adorned
the abbey church, each one is five feet eight inches high, and amongst
others Moses and the Baptist are represented. There are also two
“cresset” stones, the holes of which were filled with grease and
provided with wicks to form the night lights for the monks.
In the same room are a number of Roman objects which have been
discovered in York. A tesselated pavement, depicting the head of Medusa
surrounded by emblems of the four seasons, was found near Micklegate
Bar. One of the most ancient of Roman inscriptions in Britain is the
inscribed tablet of the time of Trajan, which was found in King’s
Square. An altar was found under one of the piers in the church of St.
Denis. Amongst other Roman objects are stone coffins, tiled tombs, and a
sculptured eagle.
Of mediaeval objects are moulded stones from the demolished church of
St. Crux, an effigy in chain armour of Sir John de Vescy, a defaced
effigy of a knight which passed as a statue of Mother Shipton, the
famous Yorkshire prophetess, and a tablet inscribed “Here stood the
image of York”, referring to Ebraucus, the founder of York, according to
Geoffrey of Monmouth.
The upper room is chiefly devoted to pottery, glass, and the smaller
Roman objects found in York. There are seven hundred and fifty perfect
vessels. Of particular interest to many and kept in a glass case is the
hair of a Roman lady--taken out of a lead coffin enclosed in a stone
one. The hair retains its auburn colour, is coiled and secured by two
jet pins.
[Illustration: RUINS OF ST. MARY’S ABBEY]
The other conventual buildings have been destroyed, the Museum stands on
a portion of them. In the basement is a fireplace _in situ_, and in
another part are three octagonal pillars which have been removed a
little from their original position. The mortar of the abbey infirmary
is placed in the Museum entrance; it was cast in 1308 by William of
Towthorpe, one of the monks. It is a beautiful example of the art of the
bellfounder, the design consisting of two rows of quatrefoils between an
inscription.
The Museum contains some Roman sculptures, including one to Mithras, an
inscribed stone coffin of Julia Fortunata, and a fine statue. On the
walls are three tapestry maps of central England. These are the first
specimens of tapestry weaving in this country and were executed in 1579.
In a wall case are fetters from York Castle, consisting of those worn by
Nevison and Dick Turpin, the famous highwaymen.
The Abbot of St. Mary’s together with the Abbot of Selby were the only
two mitred abbots north of the Trent, and by virtue of their rank they
were summoned as Lords of Parliament. The Lord Abbot of St. Mary’s had,
near York, country residences at Overton, Deighton, and Beningbrough,
and a London house near St. Paul’s Wharf.
The abbey after its surrender was retained in the possession of the
Crown. The church became a quarry for anyone who required building
stone; engravings show that in the seventeenth century both sides of the
nave with the Triforium were standing. In the eighteenth century the
abbey ruins supplied the stone for the repairing of various buildings.
The whole of the structure was gradually being cleared away, and to
hurry on the work of destruction, a limekiln was erected. Fortunately,
in 1827, the Yorkshire Philosophical Society obtained a grant of the
ruins and land.
Through the nave north doorway is seen the tomb of William Etty, Royal
Academician, who was a native of York and to whom a statue has recently
been erected in front of the City Art Gallery.
The abbot’s house, although much altered, is that occupied by the
Wilberforce School for the Blind. After the Dissolution, it was called
the King’s Manor and made the residence of the Lord President of the
North. On the site of the monastic chapter house, a palace was built and
occupied by Henry VIII and his Queen, Catherine Howard, when they
visited York. The palace was afterwards disused and became a ruin. The
basement, known as the “King’s Cellar”, remains and now forms the
substructure of a recent building. During the reign of Elizabeth
additions were made “to the Queen’s Majesty’s house” by the successive
Lords Presidents, the Earls of Sussex and Huntingdon. One apartment
contains a large fireplace with pilasters which have bases, raised
panels and caps, and an arch adorned with sculptured panels. The plaster
frieze has the crest of the Hastings, Earls of Huntingdon--a coronet
over the garter, within which is a bull’s head between the letters H.H.,
the royal Tudor badge--an open pomegranate between two dragons--and the
bear and ragged staff--the badge of the Dudleys, the Countess being the
sister of Robert Dudley, the Queen’s favourite. In the reign of James I
other additions were made, including a new entrance. In the pilaster
base on either side are the letters I.R. under a crown. A view is given
of the stairs and doorway, with the Royal Arms above, which led to the
Banquetting Hall added by the great Earl of Strafford (then Viscount
Wentworth). He placed his own armorial bearings over the doorway on the
west side of the courtyard, and although there was nothing unusual in
such an act, it formed one of the charges against him at his trial, he
having placed his own arms on one of the king’s palaces. Later, King
Charles I took up his abode here for a month, and the Royal arms were
placed over the entrance.
The School for the Blind, with its two courtyards surrounded by
mullioned windows and quaint doorways with heraldic devices, forms an
extremely picturesque brick and stone building. A pretty view is that
obtained from the abbey grounds. It shows the Elizabethan additions, one
a stone building with gabled end and a series of stone dormers; the
other, a later building on a stone base is of brick with brick
pilasters, cornices, and gables, the whole making an especially fit
subject for the artist in water colours.
Three of the Abbots of St. Mary’s became bishops: Thomas of Spofforth
went to Hereford, William Wells to Rochester, and William Sever to
Carlisle and Durham. Bishop Sever was buried in the choir of St. Mary’s
Abbey church. His tombstone was discovered during recent excavations.